Wildflower
by WeirdyMcWeirderton
Summary: Next installment in my Avery series; Sequel to Let It Hurt. Avery has a knack for getting into trouble, especially when she's so willing to put herself in harms way to save innocent people. Will the team get to her in time? And will Eliot be able to find a way to compromise with her and still protect her?
1. Your Father Is Going To Kill Me

AN: Here's the new story in my Avery series! Enjoy!

Avery enters the elevator at McRory's Bar & Grill, pushing the button to the top floor. She waits patiently for the elevator to get there, exiting it when the doors open. She hikes her book bag further up on her shoulder and walks over to the door. Opening it, she walks into the living room and notices the only one around is Hardison. They had their routine now that she'd been with them for a while. Everyday her dad drops her off at school on his way to Nate's. After school, she walks to Nate's and stays with whoever is there. If they're on a job out of the city, she stays at a friends' house. She sets her book bag on the table and walks over to where Hardison is staring at his laptop and sits next to him. She watches as four dots move around on the screen, each one labeled with the name of one of the team members. Hardison glances over at her and sends her a smile.

"How's everything going?" Avery asks in her southern drawl.

"So far? Good," Hardison replies. Avery watches the dots a second longer.

"Ya know, you should really get creative in the names you give them," Avery says. Hardison looks over at her.

"What?" he asks, not all entirely sure he knows what she's talking about.

"The dots," Avery says, pointing at them, "They're kinda boring. You should give them special secret names. That way if anyone randomly gets in and sees this stuff they can't tell who's who."

"You've got a point," Hardison says, smirking to himself.

"No nicknames Hardison," Eliot growls into the ear bud.

"Hey, that was all your daughters idea," Hardison says in defense.

"I could hear your smirk all the way over here," Eliot growls again, "No special secret names. That's stupid."

"Oh, what about doomsday?" Avery says.

"No, nick…doomsday?" Eliot says, "I could live with that."

Hardison gives Avery a knowing smirk and clicks a few buttons on the computer. Avery looks over at her dad's dot and sees Doomsday overtop it. She smirks at Hardison and Hardison hands her an extra com.

"What about Parker?" she asks.

"I want to be a black widow," Parker says through the com's.

"Ew, black widows eat their significant others," Avery says.

"But they're small and deadly," Parker points out.

"But I like Hardison," Avery says. Hardison chokes on his orange soda and Sophie suppresses a smirk.

"What does Hardison have to do with this?" Parker asks, confused.

"Nothing," Avery says. Hardison shoots her a glare but types in the new name for Parker.

"Sophie," Avery says, thinking. "She can be Chameleon."

"Chameleon?" Hardison asks.

"Yeah, cause she can blend in anywhere," Avery says. Hardison nods his head and changes the name.

"What about Nate?" Hardison asks.

"How about…" Avery says, trailing off in thought, "Hawkeye. Because he sees everything before it happens."

Nate suppresses an eye roll but doesn't say anything, keeping in character. Hardison changes the name giving Avery a sideways glance.

"All that's left is you," Avery says.

"I know," Eliot's voice says over the coms, "How about mule cause he's such a pain in the ass."

"Now that just hurts Eliot," Hardison says, grabbing his heart. Avery chuckles.

"We should label you Tremor," Avery says, "Because you're the tremor before the quake."

"I like that," Hardison says with a grin, quickly typing in the name.

"Great, now that's all he's gonna talk about," Eliot growls, then gets to thinking, "Have you done your homework?"

"Uh…" Avery says, knowing she's caught, "I'm going to do it right now."

Avery takes the com out of her ear and sets it on the desk next to Hardison. She quickly makes her way back to the table and begins pulling out her books, paper, and pen. She hears a chuckle and looks up to see Hardison smiling to himself.

"I'm the tremor baby," he mutters to himself. Avery snorts and rolls her eyes, thinking that maybe her dad was right.

LEVERAGE

The Leverage team walks into Nate's apartment, looking disheveled and exhausted. Sophie collapses on the couch, followed by Parker in the arm chair. Nate walks over to the counter and pours himself a drink. Hardison looks all of them over.

"It end that bad?" he asks.

"Yeah," Sophie replies.

"I thought you guys said you finished the job?" Hardison asks.

"We did," Nate says, "But it was a little harder than we planned. Hardison nods his head in understanding, then, looks around the room.

"Where's Eliot?"

"He's out in the hall listening to a voicemail or something," Parker says. As if on cue, Eliot emerges holding an ice pack on his head.

"What happened to you?" Hardison asks.

"What do you think happened to me?" Eliot growls, "I got hit with a freakin' crate."

"Yeah, that would've been my first guess," Hardison says sarcastically, earning a glare from Eliot.

"Where's Avery?" Eliot asks.

"Right here," Avery says, coming from the back hall, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Don't worry about it," Eliot says, "I'm fine."

"You look it," Avery says sarcastically, noticing the goose egg on his forehead after he takes the ice pack off.

"So, what happened at school today?" Eliot asks, leaning up against the counter.

"Nothing much," Avery answers, "Pretty boring actually."

"Uh-huh," Eliot says disbelievingly.

"So, did you guys get the bad guy," Avery asks the group, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, we did. Although it was harder than we planned," Sophie answers, noticing the quick change in subject as well.

"So, nothing happened at school today?" Eliot pushes. Avery gives him a weird look.

"Why do you keep asking me that? Nothing happened at school today," Avery says.

"Right, so your school called me for no reason," Eliot says.

"They called you?" Avery asks, her confidence wavering slightly.

"Yeah," Eliot says, "You thought they wouldn't?"

"Um…well, I was kinda hoping they wouldn't call this soon," Avery says.

"Again, I ask you. What happened in school today?" Eliot says.

"I can explain," Avery says.

"Of course you will," Eliot replies.

"A couple of girls were saying stuff about Katy and the way she… died," Avery says. "I kinda lost it and punched them in the face."

Eliot wants to say something, but he doesn't. He knows Katy's death has been really hard on Avery and he's lucky that's all she did. Eliot sighs.

"Well, you're suspended for the rest of the week," Eliot says. "I'll pick up all your school work tomorrow, I guess."

LEVERAGE

Avery finishes the problem she's on and sets her pen on the table, leaning back in her chair and sighing. Sophie looks over at her from the counter and gives her a knowing look.

"Have you finished?" she asks.

"My Math homework," Avery says. "My brain is just shot right now, ya know?"

Sophie watches her for a moment before setting her bowl on the counter and walking over to her. She grabs her things and puts them in a pile, earning a look from Avery.

"Come on," Sophie says, starting to walk towards the door.

"Where are we going?" Avery asks, getting up and following after Sophie.

"To go get some ice cream," Sophie says.

"But, we have ice cream here," Avery says.

"You need to get out of this place for a little bit. Otherwise we're going to have a huge Spencer Tantrum and those are never pretty," Sophie explains.

"Um…okay," Avery says, getting into the elevator with Sophie. The elevator dings and Sophie and Avery exit walking into Parker.

"Where are you two going?" Parker asks, not wanting to be left out.

"We're going to get ice cream. Would you like to come?" Sophie says.

"Ice cream? Sure," Parker replies, walking with the other two girls out to the car and climbing in.

LEVERAGE

Sophie, Parker, and Avery are all sitting at a picnic table, eating their ice cream. Parker is staring at the family at an adjacent table whose three year old has ice cream dripping down his hands and face.

"Parker, don't stare," Sophie whispers harshly.

"Why doesn't he just get a napkin?" Parker asks. Sophie gives Parker a look that tells her she'll talk to her later. Avery gazes across the street at the gas station, watching the people. One man in particular catches her eye and she watches as he walks away from the outside bathrooms. He looks around the parking lot before going to a nearby van and opening the door. He looks over at the bathroom he just vacated and nods his head. Avery narrows her eyes, knowing something is going on. A bigger, built man walks out of the bathroom, carrying a young blonde woman. He quickly puts her in the van and shuts the door. The two men look around before climbing into the front seat.

"Avery!" Sophie's voice shouts. Avery's head swivels over to her.

"What?" she asks.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past couple minutes," Sophie explains.

"Oh," Avery says, glancing over at the van as it roars to life. "I think someone's in trouble."

"What do you mean?" Sophie asks. Avery nods to the van across the street.

"Two guys just carried a girl and put her in the back of that van," she says.

"What? We should call the police," Sophie says, already getting her phone out.

"We can't. We don't have time," Avery says as the van backs up and drives to the road. "We have to help her."

Sophie stops, looking over at Avery who is all but pleading for Sophie to do this. Sophie looks over at Parker.

"I think we can do this," Parker says.

"Your father is going to kill me," Sophie says.

AN: Please review and let me know what ya'll think!


	2. Dammit Avery!

AN: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! Happy New Years everone!

Nate, Eliot, and Hardison walk into Nate's apartment. Eliot looks around and realizes no one else is around. He begins walking around the apartment, looking for Avery but doesn't see her anywhere. Eliot walks back into the living room.

"I can't find Avery," Eliot says.

"Her books and things are still on the table," Hardison says.

"Sophie's car was gone when we pulled in," Nate points out. "Maybe they both went someplace."

Eliot pulls out his phone and hits his daughter's speed dial, putting the phone up to his ear. He waits awhile but it goes to voicemail.

"Hey, Avery, call me when you get this," Eliot says into the phone. He hangs it up and puts it back in his pocket.

"I'm sure she's fine Eliot," Nate says off-handedly.

"Yeah," Eliot says. "Hardison…"

Eliot turns towards Hardison who is already typing into the computer and pulling up a screen on the TV.

"Already got it. She's with Sophie _and_ Parker," Hardison says. Eliot looks at the screen, trying to figure out where exactly they are.

"Are they…? Is that Kone King?" Eliot asks.

"Uh…yeah, it looks like," Hardison answers.

"Avery gets suspended and Sophie and Parker take her to get ice cream," Eliot says. Nate watches the two thieves, turned brothers, in silence.

"Told you she was fine," Nate finally says. "You're just being over-protective."

Eliot gives Nate a glare.

"The girl gets into trouble like it's her job. I'm just being careful," Eliot says, then, "Hardison…"

"Keep track of them. Yeah, I know," Hardison finishes, minimizing the screen but keeping it open.

LEVERAGE

"I'll distract the mark," Sophie says, "Parker, you get Avery inside and to wherever they're holding the girl."

Parker and Avery nod their heads. Sophie had followed the van all the way to a warehouse. She parked down the street so their car wasn't noticed.

"You two have your coms in?" Sophie asks.

"Yeah," Parker and Avery answer.

"All right, let's go," Sophie says, getting out of the car. They all make their way to the warehouse together, but as they get closer, Parker and Avery move to the back of it while Sophie goes to the front door. Parker and Avery sneak over to the back door and Parker takes out her lock pick set while Avery keeps a look out. Parker gets the door open in seconds and the two of them enter the warehouse, keeping a lookout for any of the kidnappers.

"So, where do you think she is?" Avery asks in a whisper.

"I don't know. We'll just have to check every room," Parker says, making her way down a hall. Avery follows her, taking the right side doors while Parker takes the left side doors.

LEVERAGE

"Uh…Eliot?" Hardison says, looking at the screen, and the recently blown up tracker tab.

"What?" Eliot says, looking over at Hardison.

"Do we know anyone at 56 Easton Street?" Hardison asks.

"Easton?" Nate asks, getting up from the table and walking over to the counter where Hardison is and looking at the screen. "That area is filled with warehouses."

"Why would they be there?" Eliot asks, joining the other two thieves at the counter.

"That's the question we're going to find out," Nate says, pulling out his phone. He dials Sophie's number and waits for her to pick it up but no one answers. He hangs up the phone after leaving a message and sets it on the counter. "No answer."

"I'll try calling Parker," Hardison says, pulling out his own phone.

"I'll call Avery," Eliot says, mimicking Hardison's actions and walking a few steps away.

LEVERAGE

Parker and Avery turn down another hallway, making sure no one is around. Parker's phone begins vibrating; Avery's following shortly after. The two girls pull out their phones and see its Hardison and Eliot. Parker and Avery look over at each other.

"Do we answer it?" Parker asks. Avery gives her a look and silencing her phone, putting it back in her pocket.

"We gotta get this girl out of here," Avery says. Parker nods her head and silences her own phone, also placing it back in her pocket. They move further down the hall when Avery hears a noise up ahead. She slows down and creeps up next to the door on the right. She puts her ear to the door and hears whimpering followed by a harsh voice. Avery looks back at Parker and points to the door, signaling they found her. Parker walks over to the other side of the door and Avery moves back a step, keeping out of the view of the door for when it opens. Parker knocks on the door and they hear the rough voice inside immediately stop. They wait and finally the door opens and a bigger man with blonde hair stands in the doorway, noticing Parker.

"Hey, I was just looking for the bathroom," Parker says. The guy looks confused.

"What? You're not supposed to be here," he says.

"Nope, and neither am I," Avery says. The bigger guy turns around in time to have a fist hit him in the nose. He stumbles back grabbing it as it begins to bleed, crying out in pain as Avery has broken it. Avery doesn't waste any time and she slams a punch into his groin. The guy doubles over, his hands leaving his face and going to his groin. She grabs the back of his head and smashes it into her knee as it flies upwards. The guy topples over, out for the count. Avery and Parker look around, not seeing anyone coming, thanking God no one heard the commotion. Avery sneaks into the room and notices the only one in there is the young girl she had seen get kidnapped. Her eyes are wide and tear tracks are running down her face. She is gagged and tied to a chair. Avery runs over and grabs the pocket knife her dad had given for her birthday and cuts the rope off the girls' hands. She moves to her feet as the girl unties the gag.

"Who are you?" the girl asks when she is untied and standing up.

"My name's Avery. I came to help you out," Avery says.

"We need to get going," Parker says, peeking her head in. "Sophie just left."

"Who…?" the girl begins, eyeing Parker cautiously.

"That's Parker. She's here to help too. Come on, we gotta get out of here," Avery says, grabbing the girl and leading her out in the hall.

LEVERAGE

"That's it," Eliot says hanging up his phone and putting it back into his pocket, having seen Hardison not getting ahold of Parker. "We're going to that warehouse."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Hardison says, putting his phone away and following after Eliot. Nate grabs his phone and follows after the two of them.

"I'm driving," Eliot announces as they walk out of the apartment.

LEVERAGE

Eliot pulls his Challenger up alongside Sophie's car and shuts it off. The three men climb out of the car and quickly make their way down the road. They hide behind some bushes, taking in the warehouse in front of them. They don't have to wait long because Sophie walks out of the front door and towards the road where they are. She says something in her com and walks around the corner only to run into them. Sophie lets out a little scream and Eliot pulls her down swiftly.

"Where's Avery?" Eliot grinds out.

"She's inside with Parker. They're coming now," Sophie says.

"You let her go in there by herself?" Eliot asks angrily. "What are you three even doing here?"

"We went out for ice cream. Avery saw a girl get kidnapped," Sophie explains.

"So, naturally you thought to follow the kidnappers and try to take them on yourselves," Eliot growls.

"I was going to call the police, but Avery made a point. They'd lose them. It'd be too late," Sophie says.

"She'd say anything to get you to go after them," Eliot says.

"I'm a grafter Eliot. Reading people is what I do. She wasn't saying it to just say it," Sophie says.

"She's sixteen years old!" Eliot shouts.

"Sh," Sophie whispers harshly. She looks back at the warehouse.

"You were worried when I let her fight the guys in a _tournament_. You just let her go into a warehouse with kidnappers who are probably _armed_," Eliot grinds out. Sophie sighs. She knew Eliot was going to be angry; she knew she should've just called the cops. "I'm going in to get her."

"Going in to get who?"

Eliot turns around and sees Parker, Avery, and a young blonde girl a couple years older than Avery.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Eliot growls, moving towards her.

"I was thinking she was in trouble and we needed to help her," Avery growls back.

"You could've gotten yourself killed. Dammit Avery!" Eliot says angrily.

"Maybe we should head back. Figure out what's going on and why these men would want to kidnap…" Sophie begins looking at the blonde girl.

"Sarah," the girl supplies.

"Sarah," Sophie says.

"You have no say in what we do," Eliot says, pointing a finger at her.

"Sophie's right. Let's head back to the apartment and figure this whole thing out," Nate says.

"Fine," Eliot grumbles. He turns and points at Avery. "Get in the damn car."

LEVERAGE

"So, tell me again why you three decided to go off on your own to do this?" Nate asks Sophie and Parker.

"A girl was in trouble Nate," Sophie argues.

"We had to help her. If we waited too long, we'd never be able to find her," Parker adds.

"You could've left Avery in the car," Nate points out.

"Oh, come on, Nate. When have you ever known Avery to just sit idly by when she knows she can be of help," Sophie counters.

"Yeah, but this is Eliot's daughter we're talking about," Hardison puts in. "You had to've known he was gonna be pissed."

"Well we weren't really expecting to get caught," Parker says.

"I'm sorry I got you in trouble," Sarah says, walking over, having heard the conversation.

"No, it wasn't your fault dear," Sophie says. Suddenly, there's shouts coming from the back room and they all turn in that direction.

"Something tells me Avery won't be doing much of anything for a while," Hardison says. Nate sighs.

"All right. Sarah?" Nate says, turning to Sarah, who nods. "Sarah, do you have any idea why these men would want to kidnap you."

"Well…" Sarah says, but hesitates.

"Don't be afraid. We want to help," Sophie assures her. Sarah nods her head.

"A few days ago I saw something," she says.

"Like what?" Nate asks.

"A murder," Sarah says. The leverage group all share looks before looking back at Sarah, the shouts still evident in the background.

"I was walking home one night and I saw these two guys shoot another in the park. It wasn't until the next day when I saw the news what had happened. I was going to the police but those guys kidnapped me before I made it there," Sarah continues.

"So, why didn't they just kill her?" Hardison asks. "I mean if they were covering their tracks, why kidnap her and drag her around?"

"That is a very good question," Nate says.

LEVERAGE

"Dad, I'm fine," Avery sighs.

"Yeah, you're lucky you're fine," Eliot says in return. "You have no idea what or who was in there."

"Dad, there were only two guys…" Avery begins.

"That you knew of," Eliot cuts her off. "Sophie said she talked to two guys in the main room. You knocked out one guy. Which means there was _three_…Avery…_three_ guys. What happens if there were more?"

"There wasn't. And we saved Sarah," Avery says.

"Something could've gone wrong. You should've called us. Or at least the cops," Eliot says, his voice raising.

"There wasn't any _time_ dad," Avery counters, her voice raising to match her fathers.

"You wouldn't have any time for _anything_ if you had gotten yourself killed Avery!" Eliot shouts.

"It's not like I went in by myself. Parker and Sophie were with me!" Avery shouts in turn.

"As much as I trust Parker and Sophie, neither one is a hitter!" Eliot shouts.

"It's not like I never worked a job with you guys!" Avery shouts, hinting at the tournament job they worked a little while ago.

"Yeah, but I was there. So, if anything went wrong, I was able to protect you!"

"It's not like I'm incapable dad! I've done karate since I was four! And you've been teaching me other stuff since I came to live with you! And Shelley's been teaching me stuff too! How much more prepared can I be?!"

"You can never be prepared enough! Something could always go wrong that leaves you in trouble! And you _always_ end up in trouble!" Eliot yells.

"_You_ should know!" Avery yells back.

"Dammit Avery!"

"Whether you like how it happened or not, Sarah's in trouble and _we_ need to help her," Avery says.

"_We_ aren't doing anything. _You_ are staying here," Eliot says. Avery opens her mouth to argue but Eliot stops her. "I'm not asking Avery."

Eliot turns and walks out of the back room and out to the living room. Avery sighs and walks out after her father. They enter the living room just in time to hear the last of the conversation.

"That's a very good question," Nate says. The team looks up as Eliot and Avery walk in, both looking very grumpy.

"So, what do we have?" Eliot growls, crossing his arms.

AN: Please review and let me know what ya'll think!


	3. I Don't Like This Plan

AN: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Sophie walks into the apartment and looks around, only seeing Eliot. Eliot looks up and sees her but ignores her entrance and turns back to his sandwich. Sophie takes a deep breath and walks over to the bar where Eliot is eating.

"Can we talk?" Sophie asks.

"Oh, _now_ you want to talk," Eliot says angrily, giving Sophie a look. Sophie sighs.

"Listen, I shouldn't have let Avery go in. I should've made her stay in the car. Or called you guys. Something. She's your daughter and I don't blame you for being angry," Sophie says.

"I'm a little more than angry Sophie," Eliot says, giving her a look.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Sophie apologies. Eliot looks over at her and sighs.

"She would've just followed you in," he says. "So, it was either she goes in _with_ you guys or she stays in the car and goes in by herself."

"So, you're not mad at me?" Sophie asks.

"I didn't say that. I'm just saying I understand why you did what you did," Eliot says. The door opens and Avery walks in seeing Sophie and her dad sitting at the bar. She freezes and studies them for a moment.

"Do I need to leave? You guys good?" she asks.

"We're fine Avery," Eliot says.

"Good," Avery says with a grin. She drops her school bag on the floor and walks over to them. "'Cause I think I might know why those guys didn't kill Sarah."

"I thought I said you were grounded. That means no jobs," Eliot says.

"I know, but listen. What if they didn't kill her because the police were on to them and they want to frame her?" Avery asks.

"Where do you come up with this stuff?" Eliot asks.

"I watch cop shows," Avery says.

"That's kind of a stretch," Eliot says.

"What's a stretch?" Nate asks as he, Hardison, and Parker walk into the apartment.

"Avery thinks those thugs didn't kill Sarah because the cops are onto them and they're using her to frame her for the murder," Eliot explains.

"It wouldn't hurt to check it out. I mean all you have to do is call Bonnano," Avery points out. Nate shrugs noncommittally.

"Come on, Nate. It's just a phone call," Sophie says.

"Fine, I'll give Bonnano a call," Nate says, pulling out his phone and walking away. Eliot turns to Avery.

"Homework," he orders.

"I'm going, I'm going," Avery groans, walking over to her bag and all but dragging it to the table. She takes out her homework and scatters it about, starting in on her math.

"Okay, thanks Bonnano," Nate says, hanging up his phone. Nate turns back to the team and walks over. "Bonnano says they don't have any leads on the case."

"Told you it was a stretch," Eliot says. Avery scowls.

"Okay, so how about this? Those guys aren't the boss. They're just the thugs. They had to wait for their boss to get there before they did anything?" Avery offers, then, adds, "And they wanted to interrogate her to see what she knew and if she had told anyone else. They knew they stopped her before she went to the police but if she had told anyone else, they'd still be in trouble."

"That makes more sense. Why didn't you start with that one?" Eliot says.

"The other one was more fun," Avery says, shrugging and going back to her work.

"Okay, so let's say Avery's right. That means these guys are going to be coming after Sarah again," Nate says.

"Where is she?" Eliot asks.

"She is…" Hardison says, typing into his computer before a map pops up with a red dot on it, "…at her house."

"Is that…a tracking device?" Sophie asks.

"Yeah, I put it on her sneakers before we dropped her off," Parker says proudly.

"We need to be able to connect them with the gun that shot the guy in the park…" Nate begins.

"Sanborn," Hardison supplies.

"Okay, Sanborn. But we can't do that unless we flush them out," Nate continues.

"How are we going to do that?" Hardison asks.

"Give them the one thing they want," Nate provides, looking at the red dot on the screen.

"We're going to _give_ them Sarah?" Sophie asks.

"Well, not really. They're going to think they have her. The problem is we can't just get the thugs. We have to get their boss. If we just get the two guys who grabbed her first, their boss will just hire new guys," Nate explains.

"So, they get Sarah and we have to let them take her back to their boss?" Parker asks.

"Yes, but we're not going to use Sarah. Not really," Nate says.

"Then who are we going to use?" Hardison asks.

"Parker," Nate replies.

"Nate, Parker has blonde hair but she looks a lot older than Sarah does. They're going to know it's not her," Eliot says.

"I could do it," Avery's voice says from the table.

"What? No way!" Eliot says.

"Well, she is close to Sarah's age," Parker says. "But, she has brown hair and Sarah has blonde."

"I can wear a wig," Avery says.

"Avery, no," Eliot warns.

"It could work. And you'll be nearby in case anything goes wrong," Avery says to her dad.

"No, it's not happening. You already helped us out on one job and you got out of there beaten and bruised," Eliot says.

"I'm pretty sure _I_ was the one doing the beating," Avery points out.

"The answer's no so stop pushing it," Eliot growls. Avery and the rest of the team all look at Eliot, expectant looks on their faces. Eliot's jaw tenses. "No. No. It's not going to happen."

LEVERAGE

"I don't like this plan," Eliot grumbles. He watches as Sophie helps Avery put a blonde wig on her head. They had called Sarah and had moved her to a secure location where the thugs couldn't find her. Now they were getting Avery ready to take her place. Eliot is sitting in one of the chairs, arms crossed, and a scowl on his face.

"You've said that already," Nate says then, turns to Avery. "So, you know what you have to do?"

"Yeah, let them kidnap me and take me to their warehouse. Once the bossman shows up give the signal and you'll let Bonnano know and he'll sweep in," Avery says.

"Right, and when these guys are busy with Bonnano, we'll switch you out with Sarah and Bonnano will catch them with her and the gun in their possession," Nate finishes.

"And if crap hits the fan, call dad," Avery adds.

"You better," Eliot says.

"All right, all done," Sophie says to Avery.

"Okay, let's get you back to Sarah's," Nate says.

LEVERAGE

"So, what's with this whole 'I want to take down the bad guy' thing?" Eliot asks Avery as he enters the elevator. Avery looks over at him.

"I just want to help that's all," Avery says.

"Uh-huh," Eliot says, knowing there's more to the story. "You sure this has nothing to do with Katy?"

Avery doesn't say anything, just crosses her arms and leans up against the elevator wall. Eliot sighs.

"You know, it's not going to bring her back right?" Eliot says.

"What?" Avery asks, looking over at him. The elevator door opens and the two of them walk out.

"Putting yourself in danger. Working these jobs," Eliot clarifies.

"I know that," Avery says, annoyed.

"Then, what's going on?" Eliot asks, putting a hand on her shoulder and stopping her before she walks outside to Sarah's car. Avery looks at him and sighs.

"I just don't want anyone else to go through what I did," she says, shrugging her dad's hand off and exiting the building. Eliot watches her leave before heading out to his Charger.

LEVERAGE

Avery pulls into Sarah's driveway and shuts the car off. Climbing out of the car, she nonchalantly glances around, noticing her dad's car down the street.

"You're doing fine Ave, just act natural," Eliot says into the com. Avery shuts the door and walks up to the door, unlocking it with the keys Sarah gave them. Shutting the door behind her, Avery looks around the apartment. Avery walks through the apartment, getting her bearings and also, looking for anything out of place.

"Everything all right in there?" Eliot's voice comes over the coms.

"We're fine," Avery replies, walking back in to the living room and dropping onto the cheap sofa. "So, now what?"

"Hang tight. Watch some TV," Eliot says, looking out his window at the street. He hasn't seen anything suspicious but he was keeping an eye out.

"Eliot, how's everything going over there?" Nate asks.

"Fine. Nothing yet," Eliot says, still scanning the street.

"Hey, Dad?" Avery says.

"Yeah?"

"You realize that I have to act like Sarah right?" Avery asks.

"What?" Eliot asks in turn, slightly confused.

"If I act differently, they're gonna know I'm not her. She was really scared the last time we found her," Avery explains.

"What are you getting at Avery?" Eliot asks.

"I think what Avery's trying to say Eliot," Sophie begins, "Is she can't be her normal 'kick your butt' personality. She's going to have to act really scared."

"But I'm not. I'm just pretending to be," Avery says. "I just want to make sure you know that."

"I know that Avery," Eliot says gruffly, not sure if he's annoyed at the fact she's telling him this or at the fact that he's most likely not going to like what he hears when these guys come.

"Okay, just making sure," Avery says, mentally waving the white flag.

LEVERAGE

Avery sighs in boredom as she flips through the channels on the TV once again. There is nothing on that's even remotely worth watching. She gets up and begins looking through Sarah's movies when suddenly she hears a sound from the back door. Her head whips around and she watches the archway leading in that direction.

"I think they're here," she whispers into her com. Eliot sits up straighter in the drivers' seat and looks around. He hadn't seen anyone pull up to the house and he doesn't see anything out of the ordinary now either. Avery walks through the archway and starts down the hall, looking around. Not seeing anything, she turns around. A guy, one of the ones who had taken Sarah the last time, is standing in front of her. Avery lets out a scream and the blonde haired guy grabs her, putting a hand over her mouth. Avery tries to kick and scream, all the while reminding herself that she has to be Sarah. The other guy, a brunette, who had kidnapped Sarah before as well, appears around the corner. Avery kicks at him, hitting him in the stomach and sending him into the end table, knocking it down. She tries to get free of the blonde man but he whips her around towards the back door. Avery smashes into the wall with a loud thump and lets out a groan.

Eliot hears the commotion over the coms, hearing the screams, thumps, and crashes. His hand immediately goes to the door handle, ready to jump out and run towards the house. Nate's voice stops him.

"Eliot we need them to take her," he says. Eliot freezes, fighting a war inside his head.

"Get her in the damn car!" the brunette shouts angrily. The blonde roughly manhandles her through the back door, smacking her into the porch table and railing. Avery lets out a cry, but the blonde guy ignores her, all but dragging her to the van out back.

Eliot feels the anger and frustration build up inside him. He hears Sophie remind him Avery's just acting but it doesn't help. He never wanted to hear these sound come out of his daughters' mouth. He hits his steering wheel with his hand letting out a curse.

"Dammit!"

The two kidnappers throw Avery in the back of the van and the brunette climbs in the drivers' seat, the blonde in the back with Avery. The brunette starts the van up and squeal off towards the warehouse they had first taken Sarah.

"If _anything_ happens to her Nate…" Eliot says.

"We don't want anything to happen to her Eliot. Which is why you're going to be at that warehouse," Nate replies. Eliot forces his emotions back down, getting control of them before starting up the Challenger and squealing off.

AN: Please review and let me know what ya'll think!


	4. That's Not Good

AN: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

"Did you get ahold of the boss?" the brunette asks as the blonde walks into the room.

"Yeah, he said he wasn't coming out here. Said she had to've had help last time and he wasn't going to take the chance," the blonde says, glancing over at Avery, tied up on the floor.

"So now what?" the brunette asks, his gaze following the blonde's, seeing Avery is still out for the count.

"He gave me an address. We're to meet him there," the blonde responds, glancing back over at the brunette.

"Alright. She should be getting up any time here. Go get the drugs," the brunette says, nodding towards the open door behind the blonde. The blonde nods his head and turns to head in that direction. "Eric."

The blonde stops and turns around to look at the brunette, raising his eyebrows in question. The brunette nods towards Avery.

"Grab an extra syringe just in case," the brunette says.

"Sure thing Nick," Eric replies, turning back around and heading out the door. Moments later, Eric returns back to the room and hands Nick the syringe. Nick takes it from him and walks over to where Avery is. He grabs her arm and inserts the needle into it, emptying the contents into Avery's blood stream. Avery flinches slightly, feeling the poke in her arm. She hears shuffling around and mumbling coming from in front of her. Nick takes the syringe out and hands it to Eric who discards it in a trash can.

"Come on. Let's get the van ready to go," Nick says, watching Avery. Eric exits the room, Nick following after him, glancing behind him at Avery before following Eric down the hall. Avery blinks her eyes once she hears the men leave, shaking her head to get rid of the drowsiness, but is unable to do so, groaning when the dizziness intensifies. She looks around the room and sees she's in the same room she found Sarah. Her head feels like cotton and she tries to shove it down but is unsuccessful. She feels something in her ear and remembers she has her com and that her dad should be nearby. She feels the drowsiness grow heavier and she decides she had better get ahold of him soon or she wasn't going to be able to.

"Dad…?" she calls, her voice but a whisper. She shakes her head and focuses on her voice more, speaking louder this time. "Dad?"

"Ave? You alright?" Eliot jumps in a little too eagerly, having heard something about moving her and a syringe over the coms.

"Um…" Avery begins, trying to wrap her head around an answer. The room is tilting and she closes her eyes, not liking the feel.

"Avery," Eliot calls, causing her to jump slightly, forgetting she was talking to someone. She forces her eyes open again, but the drowsiness is pulling her under.

"Dad…Some…Something's wrong…" Avery says, before her eyes close and the drowsiness pulls her under.

"_What's_ wrong Ave? Avery? Avery?!" Eliot says into his com, not liking the silence. "Nate…"

"We're on our way Eliot," Nate says into his com, having heard the whole conversation. Eliot pushes the gas pedal further, turning a corner a little too fast. The warehouse was up the street on the right. Eliot pulls over to where Sophie had parked last time and jumps out of the Challenger, moving quickly towards the warehouse, keeping an eye out. Not seeing any movement, Eliot runs to the side door and cautiously enters the building.

Eliot quickly, but quietly walks throughout the building, checking rooms as he goes by them, not seeing anyone around. He makes a right down a hallway and hurries down to a door on the left. He listens carefully but doesn't hear anything. Opening it up, he peers inside, seeing only a chair and a garbage can inside. Eliot purses his lips and turns to go back out the chair when something on the floor catches his eye. He walks across the room and squats down, picking up the object.

"Dammit," he growls, seeing it's Avery's com. He stands up and puts it in his pocket and looks around the room for anything else. His eyes land on the trashcan and walks over to it, peering inside. He reaches inside and grabs a syringe, peering at it. Eliot scowls, throwing the syringe back in the garbage and moving out to the hallway, slamming the door behind him. Eliot storms through the building, heading to the front door and talking into his com. "Nate…"

"We're outside the warehouse…" Nate begins.

"Don't bother. They're not here. She's gone," Eliot growls. He reaches the front door and whips it open, walking determinedly over to where the cars are parked. Nate, Sophie, Hardison, and Parker climb out of a car and walk over to him. Eliot is scowling at Nate, pointing at him, growling out the next thing he says. "You said nothing bad was going to happen to her Nate. You said she'd be fine. She's gone and we have _no_ clue where they took her."

"We'll find her Eliot…" Nate says, holding up his hands in placation.

"You wouldn't be so calm if it was your kid Nate," Eliot accuses, glaring at Nate before stalking off to his Challenger. Nate sighs and looks over at Sophie who shakes her head. A squeal of tires announces Eliot's departure and Nate turns to face the whole group. "Hardison, you have any way to track down Avery?"

"I don't know. I can see what I can come up with," Hardison says, shrugging his shoulders. "But there's not much. If we're lucky, they have her phone on them still turned on."

"All right, let's get back to the bar," Nate says, climbing into the driver's seat of his car. Parker looks over at Sophie.

"Sophie, do you think we'll get Avery back?" she asks, yearning in her eyes.

"If it's the last thing I do, I'll track her down," Hardison replies from behind her before climbing into the back seat of the car. Parker glances over at him before looking back over at Sophie.

"Does Eliot hate us?" she asks Sophie. Sophie supplies a small smile before answering.

"No Parker. He's just worried is all. He'll be fine as soon as we get Avery back," Sophie assures, resting a hand on Parker's shoulder and squeezing. Sophie climbs in the front passenger seat as Parker glances back at the warehouse and then climbs in the back seat with Hardison. Nate starts the car up and does a U-Turn back out to the road.

LEVERAGE

"Have we figured out where they took Avery yet?" Nate asks Hardison as he walks into the living room.

"No, but I've found the van they used to take Sarah near her house after Avery was kidnapped. I've been following it through the traffic cams so hopefully soon," Hardison explains, typing into his computer and studying the screen at the traffic cameras.

"Well, let's get going. We've already wasted a lot of time," Nate says, looking over as Eliot walks into the room.

"You find her yet?" Eliot growls, walking over to Hardison and peering over his shoulder at the computer screen.

"Not yet. But soon," Hardison says, switching to another camera.

"What's taking you so long?" Eliot growls, glaring at the screen, before walking a few steps away.

"I'm going as fast as I can. When I find where she is, I'll…" Hardison begins, not letting his eyes leave the screen. He stops when he sees the van pull into a building, the roll up door shutting behind it. "Got her."

"Where?" Eliot asks, walking back over and studying the screen.

"325 Hering Street," Hardison says, pulling up the address. Before anyone can say anything, Eliot has turned around and headed towards the door. Nate looks over, watching him leave, before turning to the rest of the group.

"Parker, Sophie. Get Sarah and meet us at the building," Nate says. Parker and Sophie nod and leave the apartment. Nate turns his attention to Hardison. "You're with me. Once we figure out who these two guys are that took her and who the boss is, we'll have to work fast."

"We'll? We'll? I believe you meant to say 'you'll'," Hardison says to Nate's back as Nate heads towards the door. Hardison sighs in frustration, mumbling to himself about not being given credit as he packs up his computer and rushes after Nate.

LEVERAGE

Eliot lies on the ground, pretending to be asleep. He is dressed up as a homeless person to blend in. He wasn't going to chance having his car around and being made, this area wasn't really well-known for nice vehicles. He keeps an eye on the building in front of him, mentally holding himself back from charging in there and beating up every bad guy he comes across. Nate had talked to him the whole ride over, telling him they needed to connect the murder and kidnapping to the boss otherwise this whole plan was for nothing.

"Anything yet Eliot?" Nate's voice comes through the coms.

"No," Eliot replies, peeking at the building. Suddenly, a car pulls up to the front door of the building and a couple guys climb out, one of them in the middle. Eliot cautiously moves to get a better look at the guy in the middle, taking his phone out to take a picture. Two men, a blonde and a brunette, exit the building and walk over to them. The guy in the middle walks up to them and begins talking. Eliot takes a couple pictures and sends them to Hardison. "Hardison, I just sent you some pictures."

Back in Lucille, Hardison pulls up the pictures Eliot has just sent and begins putting the three guys' faces through a face-recognition program. They don't have to wait long for the first ping to sound. Two more pings sound a few moments after the first one. Hardison's eyes grow eyes.

"That's not good," Hardison says, clicking a few buttons on his computer and pulling up three profiles for Nate to see. Nate walks over and peers over Hardison's shoulder at the screen.

"Eliot, we know who they are. But you're not going to like it," Nate says into his coms, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"I already don't like it Nate," Eliot growls back, watching the scene before him. The group of men walks into the building, shutting the door behind them.

"The two guys who took her are Eric Hanson and Nick Venigoff," Nate says in return.

"Venigoff and Hanson? Great. Who's the boss?" Eliot says, a scowl on his face aimed towards the building.

Nate ignores Eliot's question and turns to Hardison. "Hardison I need you to set up a transaction going from Stansenov's account to Hanson and Venigoff's accounts. Then, figure out the connection between Stansenov and the victim."

Hardison nods his head and immediately gets to work. Eliot hears everything Nate is saying and he quickly sits up. He looks back to where Lucille is hidden, a glare on his face.

"Stansenov? As in Victor Stansenov? My daughter is in there with one of the _biggest_ crime lords in Russia? What the _hell _is he doing here?" Eliot all but yells, jumping to his feet.

"Eliot stay where you are. We…" Nate begins but Eliot growl interrupts him.

"I don't think so Nate. You'd better hurry up, because I'm going in now," Eliot growls, throwing off the blanket around his shoulders and glancing around the street, heads towards the back of the building.

AN: Please review! Would love to hear what you think! I'm thinking only one more chapter after this.


	5. She Says She Is

AN: Okay guys, here's the last chapter! Enjoy!

"Hardison, what have you found out?" Nate asks, turning his attention to Hardison.

"Turns out Stansenov's brother died a couple months ago. They never found the guy who killed him, but…" Hardison begins, pulling up a picture, "…looks like it was our victim."

"Alright, Hardison, send this information to Bannano. Have you set up the transaction?" Nate asks. Hardison keeps his attention on his screen, but answers Nate.

"Yes I did. Everything is set up. Now all we need is Bannano to get here," Hardison answers, sitting back in his chair and looking over at Nate.

"Sophie, you're up," Nate says into his coms. Sophie pulls out her phone and types in a few numbers.

"Hello? 9-1-1? I just heard gunshots outside. And I think I saw some men who look Russian walking around. Where?" Sophie says with panic in her voice. She gives the operator the address. She hangs up her phone and looks over at Parker, sitting in the seat beside her. "Nate, we're all set over here."

"Eliot, how's it going in there?" Nate asks into the coms.

"Fine," Eliot growls, entering the building and cautiously hurrying down the hallway. "Hardison, track him."

Hardison types into his computer and pulls up the floor plan of the building. A few more buttons and a red dot pops up onto the screen, moving down a hallway.

"Parker, be ready. As soon as we find where Avery is, you're going to take Sarah to the nearest door," Nate says into the coms, still watching the red dot make its way through the building. Parker nods her head and looks behind her into the backseat at Sarah.

"You ready for this?" Parker asks her. Sophie turns and looks back at Sarah as well. Sarah nods her head jerkily, her eyes wide and biting her lower lip, tension evident in her body.

"You'll be fine," Sophie soothes, resting a hand on Sarah's arm. "By the time we switch you out with Avery the cops will be there."

Sarah nods her head again, still biting her lip and her eyes wide, but the tension easing off a little.

LEVERAGE

The first thing Avery notices is that she's sitting on the floor, and the floor is hard. The next thing she notices is the air smells damp. Avery blinks her eyes open and looks around the room she's in. First, she realizes her vision is clearer but not perfect. Then, she realizes she's alone, which she's quite relieved to see. She looks around and sees there is only one door and the floor is wooden. She moves slightly, feeling a pull on her arms. She tries to see behind her, noticing the metal pole her arms are wrapped around and hands tied behind. Avery brings her legs up towards her and she slowly begins standing up, moving her arms up the pole as she does so. She's almost standing up straight when something cuts her arm.

"Ow, dammit," she says, stopping abruptly. She carefully feels along the pole, her fingers brushing up against something sharp. Feeling along the object further, Avery assumes it's a broken piece on metal on the pole. She quickly begins rubbing the rope binding her hands along the jagged piece of metal, hoping to cut it free.

LEVERAGE

"Where's the girl?" Stansenov asks Hansen and Venigoff as the three of them and Stansenov's three bodyguards walk into the building.

"She's in the back in one of the rooms," Eric Hanson replies, jutting a thumb behind them.

"I tied her to a metal pole and we drugged her. She won't be getting up anytime soon," Nick Venigoff adds, watching Victor Stansenov.

"Good. Anymore problems like last time?" Victor asks, raising an eyebrow at the two men before him.

"No, we took precautions. Everything went smoothly," Nick answers, eyeing the bodyguards next to Stansenov.

"Good. I didn't want to have to kill you," Stansenov says seriously, his cold eyes never leaving Nick or Eric's. Nick and Eric force a swallow but other than that they don't show their nervousness. Stansenov glances at the back door leading to a hallway behind the two men and nods towards it. "Go take care her. Then, I will pay you."

Nick and Eric nod their heads and they turn around, exiting out the back door and walking down the hall. They take a right turn and walk down the hallway, stopping at the door to the room Avery is in.

LEVERAGE

Avery continues to work at her bonds, feeling them loosen a little but not broken yet. She freezes when she hears footsteps walking up to the door. Her head shoots up and she stares at the door to the room, holding her breath. There is a clanking sound and the door opens up, Nick and Eric walking into the room. Eric stays near the door, watching Avery. Nick walks up near her, smirking devilishly at her. Avery watches the two of them, her attention shifting mostly to Nick when he gets near her but still keeping Eric in her sight. Nick pulls out a gun and looks at it lovingly before looking up at Avery, smiling.

"Guess you won't be testifying after all," he says, his grin growing bigger. Before Nick can do anything, Avery kicks the gun out of his hand and lands another kick to his stomach, sending him flying backwards onto the floor, sliding a few inches. Avery quickly begins to work on her bonds once again but Eric charges forward, aiming a punch at her face. Avery shifts to the right, her loosened bonds allowing her to move enough to miss getting hit. She doesn't waste any time and lands a knee into Eric's solar plexus, hearing the air being forced out of his lungs. She stomps on the side of his knee, a girlish scream escaping from Eric's mouth. As Eric falls to the floor, Avery kicks him in the face. Eric drops to the floor, out cold. She hears a click and her head whips up, eyes growing wide when she sees Nick in front of her, aiming his gun at her, a smile on her face.

"See you in hell sweetheart," Nick says, leering at Avery. Avery's eyes grow wider. Suddenly, there is a blur and a fist hits Nick in the face. Nick stumbles back and he tries to aim the gun at the intruder. Avery looks at the newcomer and sees it's her dad. Eliot grabs Nick's wrist, breaking his arm and getting rid of the gun. Nick yells in pain and Eliot slams an elbow into Nick's face, sending him unconscious to the ground. Avery works on her bonds and Eliot looks over at her, checking her over.

"Ave. You all right?" Eliot says, quickly closing the distance between he and his daughter. The jagged piece of metal finally cuts through the bonds. Eliot reaches her and before he can check her over, Avery has slammed into him wrapping her arms around him tightly. Eliot returns the hug just as tightly. There are footsteps behind them and Eliot and Avery break apart, turning quickly. Eliot shoves Avery behind him, his body tense, ready for a fight. He relaxes when he sees it's Parker and Sarah.

"Bannano is here. We have to hurry," Parker says, eyeing Nick and Eric lying unconscious on the floor. Eliot nods his head. Parker turns to Sarah. "You'll be fine. The cops will be here in a few minutes."

Sarah nods her head, but her eyes drift towards the two guys on the ground. Parker follows her gaze, taking in the two guys as well. She shifts her gaze over to Eliot, tilting her head slightly.

"I knocked that one out," Eliot says, nodding towards Nick, "he'll be out for a while."

"And I knocked the other one out. He won't be waking up any time soon either," Avery replies, nodding towards Eric.

"We'll take them out though," Eliot says, already moving to Nick and dragging him out the door. Avery and Parker grab Eric and drag him out in the hall as well. Parker glances inside once more, shooting Sarah an encouraging glance before shutting the door behind them. Parker leads the way to the left and out the door, Eliot grabbing Avery's arm and leading her after Parker.

LEVERAGE

Bannano motions for SWAT to put Stansenov and his bodyguards in cuffs before leading another group of SWAT through a door and down a hall. They check each room but don't find anything so they make a right, stopping when they see two men lying on the floor. They cautiously approach them and see they are unconscious. Two SWAT members quickly put them in cuffs while Bannano and the other open the door and enter the room, seeing Sarah inside, eyes wide and arms wrapped around her.

"Sarah? Everything's okay. I'm Detective Bannano. We have Stansenov in custody along with the guys who kidnapped you," Bannano says, slowly approach Sarah, hands up in a calming manner so as not to alarm her. Sarah breaks down, tears falling down her face and she falls into Bannano.

LEVERAGE

Nate looks up when his apartment door opens, Sophie following his lead, the two of them standing in the kitchen. Eliot and Avery walk in to the room; Eliot ruffles her hair before she departs and slumps down in the couch near where Hardison and Parker are sitting on a chair, Parker on the arm of it. Eliot glances over at her and then walks over to the kitchen counter. He leans his forearms on the counter and looks at Nate and Sophie. Nate glances over at Avery, making sure she's occupied before turning his attention back to Eliot.

"She all right?" Nate asks. Eliot glances back at his daughter and then turns back around to look at Nate.

"She says she is," he replies, raising an eyebrow and nodding his head slightly.

"What do you say?" Nate asks, tilting his head forward.

"She slept in my bed last night. And she wouldn't let me leave until she fell asleep. Said she just wanted the company and that my room was warmer. But she was scared," Eliot says quietly, jabbing a finger onto the counter, looking directly at Nate.

"Has she talked about it at all?" Sophie asks Eliot, leaning closer to him so as to not let Avery hear their conversation.

"No," Eliot replies, looking over at Sophie. Eliot purses his lips and shifts his gaze between the two people in front of him. "Just do me a favor. No more jobs with her. No matter what she says."

Nate and Sophie nod their heads in agreement and look up when there's yells coming from the living room. Eliot turns around and sees Hardison, Parker, and Avery watching a movie on the TV. Avery pokes her head up over the back of the couch to look at the three Leverage team members in the kitchen.

"You coming?" she asks, looking directly at her dad.

"Yeah, I'm coming," Eliot says. He glances back at Nate and Sophie, raising his eyebrows and nodding towards Avery. He turns around and walks over to the couch, sitting on the end of it. Avery grabs a pillow and sets it against her dad's leg and lays her head on it, taking up the rest of the couch. Nate and Sophie share a look and then walk over to the group, taking their own seats.

AN: Not sure how I feel about this ending. Please review and let me know what ya'll think! Thanks for reading, following, and reviewing! I appreciate it!


End file.
